Dream vs Wonder

[mort1331]

Just looking at cruising for the first time and both ships are leaving 1 day apart for the same cruise. Is the Dream worth the extra money for the same cruise? I know its a bigger ship and newer, but is that worth the extra for all the same rooms, ports etc?
We would have at the time DD 5&9.

 

[grantclaire]

Might depend if you have young kids, The Dream has the Aquaduck and other newer things for kids. The Wonder would be great for first time cruisers, easy to get around, seems less crowded. Both are great ships!

 

[Quellman]

Are they leaving from the same port? I know that the Wonder will be in Miami early next year before heading to Alaska again in May and back to Galveston later. The Dream is sailing out of Port Canaveral. So factor this into your travel itinerary and budget too if it matters.

 

[mort1331]

Yes same port same itinerary, and sailing one day apart. Looking at Feb 2017 out of Canaveral.

 

[dclpluto]

How much is the difference? It also depends on how much you make.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Yes same port same itinerary, and sailing one day apart. Looking at Feb 2017 out of Canaveral.

They're both good choices. The Wonder is scheduled for a major refurb a year from now, which will make her "newer" than the Dream. Since the Wonder has fewer passengers, Castaway Cay will be less crowded. Plus the smaller ship is easier (quicker) to get around. The Dream and Fantasy are so huge you almost need to pack a lunch to hike from one end of the ship to the other.

 

[mlayton14]

They're both good choices. The Wonder is scheduled for a major refurb a year from now, which will make her "newer" than the Dream. Since the Wonder has fewer passengers, Castaway Cay will be less crowded. Plus the smaller ship is easier (quicker) to get around. The Dream and Fantasy are so huge you almost need to pack a lunch to hike from one end of the ship to the other.

With all due respect this is the most ridiculous thing imaginable .. The Dream is about 200 feet longer and 20 feet wider, if that is too much extra far to walk you either have to be disabled or incredibly out of shape. Dont know about you, but any normal human could walk this extra distance in about 2 minutes flat at a moderate pace.

To be real, there is a lot more to do on the Dream (mini golf, Midship Detective Agency, Aquaduck, etc), the main restaurants are bigger and more heavily themed like you would expect from Disney, and yes of course there are more people to go along with the larger spaces. There is a reason why the Dream is more expensive.

With that being said I dont think you can wrong either way for your first cruise.

 

[jdb in AZ]

With all due respect this is the most ridiculous thing imaginable .. The Dream is about 200 feet longer and 20 feet wider, if that is too much extra far to walk you either have to be disabled or incredibly out of shape. Dont know about you, but any normal human could walk this extra distance in about 2 minutes flat at a moderate pace.

To be real, there is a lot more to do on the Dream (mini golf, Midship Detective Agency, Aquaduck, etc), the main restaurants are bigger and more heavily themed like you would expect from Disney, and yes of course there are more people to go along with the larger spaces. There is a reason why the Dream is more expensive.

With that being said I dont think you can wrong either way for your first cruise.

Full disclosure, I do have handicapped license plates, and I'm allergic to crowds.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

The Dream just finished her dry dock where she got some great refurbishments including Satellite Falls adult only area that is on the Fantasy and a Star Wars themed area in the kids club. The Wonder will also be going through a major dry dock next fall.

I just returned from the Wonder 3 weeks ago after 3 cruises on the Dream and Fantasy and have to say I'd spend the extra money on the Dream. They are both easy to navigate but little things like the wood grain walls in the hallways gave a much nicer feeling and look to the Dream vs the white walls on the Wonder.

But.......I don't know if you're looking at a 3 or 4 night itinerary, if it's a 3, I would say try to do a 4 night even if it's on the Wonder. I definitely prefer the Dream class but would rather spend 4 nights on the Wonder vs 3 nights on the Dream. Just my $.02

 

[mort1331]

yup there both 4 nights, all things the same except the ship and about $300. Thanks for all the honest opinions we take them all equal since everyone sees things different.

 

[Bear3412]

With kids 5 and 9, and only $300 more, I recommend the Dream.


Have Fun

 

[southerngirl528]

I have a personal preference between those 2 ships and it's the Wonder. But in your scenario and with the kids, I would lean slightly to the Dream. As others have said, you really cannot go wrong with those 2 wonderful choices! Happy planning!

 

[grantclaire]

Our first two cruises were on the Wonder that is when I fell in love with DCL! We then had two cruises on the Dream which were fun but different. Next did a five day cruise on the Magic which we thought had the best staff overall. Last year we sailed on the Fantasy and it was a great cruise! So I am not much help I love all the ships!